The organizers of Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the season that will be held this year from June 27 to July 10, announced this Wednesday the veto of Russian and Belarusian tennis players due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, an "unfair" decision according to reproached the ATP in another statement.
“In the circumstances of such unwarranted and prior military aggression, it will be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefit from the participation of Russian or Belarusian players in The Championships. Therefore, it is our intention, with deep regret, to refuse the entries of Russian and Belarusian players in 2022," the organizers said in a statement.
They express their "continued support for all those affected by the conflict in Ukraine pending these shocking and distressing times" and ensured they share "the universal condemnation of Russia's illegal actions."
“We have carefully considered the situation in the context of our duties to judges, the community and the public rather than the UK as a British deportation institution. We have also taken into account the guidance set out by the UK Government specifically in relation to sporting bodies and events,” he added.
“We recognize that this is hard on those affected, who will suffer from the actions of the Russian regime leaders. We have considered very carefully what alternative steps could be taken within the guidance of the UK Government but given the high profile environment of The Championships, the importance of not allowing sport to be used to promote the Russian regime and our concerns more for the public and the safety of the player (including the family), we do not believe that there is any other viable way to proceed, ”confirmed Ian Hewitt, president of the All England Club.
The direct remarked that, in any case, "if circumstances change materially between now and June", they will take it into account and respond "accordingly", and celebrated that the LTA, the British tennis association, has made a similar decision.
In this way, the third Grand Slam of the season will not be able to count on some of the figures of the world ranking of the ATP and the WTA, such as the Russians Daniil Medvedev, current number two in the world, and Rublev, eighth, and the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, number four in the women's circuit.
Shortly after, the ATP, Association of Tennis Professionals, spoke out against a "unilateral and unfair decision." "We strongly condemn Russia's reprehensible invasion of Ukraine and stand in solidarity with the millions of innocent people affected by the ongoing war," he states in the first place of his statement.
“Our sport prides itself on operating soberly on the fundamental principles of merit and fairness, where players compete individually to earn their place in tournaments based on the ATP Rankings. We believe that today's unilateral decision by Wimbledon and the LTA to remove players from Russia and Belarus from this year's British grass-court tour is unfair and has the potential to set a damaging precedent for the game,” he says.
“Discrimination based on nationality also constitutes a violation of our agreement with Wimbledon which established that the entry of players is based solely on ATP rankings. Any action in response to this decision will now be assessed in consultation with our Board and member councils,” he adds.
The ATP will find that at its circuit events, players from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to compete, as before, under a neutral flag, and will continue to support Ukraine through 'Tennis Plays for Peace'.
